A New DirectionOut-of-HomeOn the RoadAround Austin“Sorry, folks”

In 1964, Bob Dylan wrote “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” In 2007, SicolaMartin is bringing his words to life. To adapt to agency growth, the Martian management team has undergone a bit of a shake up. In case you didn’t see the press release, here’s the long and short of it. You got four folks: Tom Sicola, Steve Martin, Cherie Cox and Diane McKinnon. Prior to the re-org, Tom was president and CEO. Steve was co-founder, senior vice president and executive creative director. Cherie was head of client services. Diane was head of integrated marketing and creative services. What happened is this: Tom passed the role (and responsibilities) of president to Steve. Tom is still CEO and will focus on the agency’s strategic direction and business development, continue to oversee our social responsibility initiatives and serve as our liaison with other companies within the Y&R Brands and WPP networks. Steve will continue to support creative development and oversee client/partner relationships while taking over the leadership role of the company’s day-to-day operations. Cherie and Diane have both been named senior vice president/managing partner while retaining their respective roles. Why did all this happen, you may ask? Read more.

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These days, when you’re talking media, the buzzword is “engagement.” How do we use traditional vehicles in non-traditional ways to grab the attention of a jaded audience? Or better yet, how do we simply create unique ways to reach the masses? In most cases, the solution ends up being out-of-home advertising. Marketers have always strived to push the envelope with advertising campaigns. One recently comes to mind where a network attempted to push it a little too far. We can hear Paul Revere now… “The Cartoon Network is coming! The Cartoon Network is coming!” Sure, it won’t soon be forgotten (especially by Turner Broadcasting, who had to pay $2M in amends), but is that the potential price we pay in order to create visibility in a cluttered environment? Although the temptation is to create a “buzz-worthy” campaign just for the sake of eliciting Internet chatter, the real consideration should be establishing a credible brand experience. For example, Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” employed groundbreaking technology where consumers could vote via text messaging and the results were transmitted to an outdoor billboard in Times Square. Talk about a campaign that extended the brand while “engaging” the target!

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No doubt about it. Cell phones have changed the way we travel. Fifteen years ago, anywhere you went, you were at the mercy of elusive pay phones and exorbitant long distance charges. These days, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, over 230 million Americans have a cell phone. My, how things have changed. For better or worse, we are always reachable. But that also means we can always access critical services, no matter where we are. Our devices are getting smarter, and as they do so, the opportunities for marketers to reach the mobile traveler are increasing. Before long, advertisements will be tailored not just to the preferences and behavior of the recipient, but their location as well. Imagine arriving in New York City and getting a message offering a discount at a local restaurant. But this still only scratches the surface. In time, our phones will provide single-device access, regardless of location, to a host of services from entertainment services to our bank accounts. Companies such as SicolaMartin client, Amdocs, are leading the way to this connected future. Headquartered in Israel, and with a U.S. base in Chicago, they provide software that helps the myriad of currently disconnected systems work with each other. It will be critical that these systems work together to provide a seamless experience for the user as the services themselves become more commoditized. It’s the future, and Amdocs is making it possible.

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Let us start this article by clearing up any imminent confusion. No, you did NOT pull this e-newsletter out of the seat-back pocket in front of you. No, our employees are NOT celebrities. Regardless, we did ask our favorite Martians what would be their ultimate Austin weekend. And this is what we heard. Alan: Friday - dinner at Guero’s, walk across the street to the Continental Club. Saturday - breakfast at Kerbey Lane Café, then a walk around the lake. Lunch at Hula Hut. The afternoon at the Blanton Museum and across the street at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Walk the grounds of the University of Texas. Dinner at the The Belmont, then on to 6th street. Sunday - brunch at Fonda San Miguel. Spend the day on Lake Travis. Finish off at The Oasis for salsa lessons. Evelyn: Saturday - skating/biking the Veloway, breakfast at Maria’s Taco Xpress, swim laps at Stacy Pool, have lunch at Shady Grove, hike up Mount Bonnell, float in the deprivation tank at Zenblend, have dinner at Mars (or Eastside Café). Sunday - morning on a boat on the lake, lunch at The Oasis, hot stone massage at Zenblend, drive out to Driftwood and visit the Barsana Dham, have dinner at The Salt Lick (don’t forget to BYOB!). Paula: Friday - Dinner and a movie at Alamo Drafthouse. Saturday - Breakfast at Maria’s Taco XPress, take the kids to Rollingwood Park, have lunch at Dirty’s, hang out at Barton Springs, dinner at Artz Rib House, dancing at the Broken Spoke. Sunday - A Campbell-Neumann sale, lunch at Ciola’s, the afternoon at Windy Point, finish up with sushi at Koreana.

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“…park’s closed. The moose out front shoulda told ya.” Not only is it one of the greatest movie quotes of all time, it also sums up less-than-stellar vacations for more than one SicolaMartian. When it comes to terrible trips, we’ve had some doozies. Nada: “Attempting to go to Little Corn Island on the eastern side of Nicaragua.” Editor’s note: Due to length constraints, Nada’s adventure has been boiled down to a few key phrases. “WWII cargo plane… a torrential downpour… men pelting dogs with rocks… in the middle of the ocean and we had no power… same crappy plane… worse weather conditions… Chad got interrogated by the police… we kissed the ground.” You get the idea. Scott: “After a climbing trip, we ended up sleeping at a construction site outside of LA, because we arrived at 4 a.m. to find no vacancies.” Lyndahl: “I have taken two separate extensive RV vacations with my family. Anything and everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. We were buried in a sand dune in the night, were washed out to sea, lost 32 tires and were mauled by bears.” Brooke: “I traveled to England, France and Scotland with one of my best friends. On our way from Paris to London via the Eurostar/rail, the train was derailed in Northern France by a crazed man who put metal bars over the tracks. We were going over 150 mph! Luckily my friend and I weren’t injured, just shaken up, and no one on the train died.”

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